


Leather and Silk.

by Rainwater_Apothecary



Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, Wrote this for fun, jaskier can and will go feral for his found family do not test him, love these characters, to write more of, will i make my way through all the songbirds my friends throw at me? yes.
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:06:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25793344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainwater_Apothecary/pseuds/Rainwater_Apothecary
Summary: Eskel invokes the Law of Surprise and discovers that he can’t do this alone.
Relationships: Eskel/Jaskier | Dandelion
Comments: 3
Kudos: 112





	Leather and Silk.

Eskel looked blankly into an abyss only he could see. Jaskier knew a Witcher in turmoil when he saw one.  


“Oren for your thoughts?” The lanky bard folded himself into a crouch beside his friend. 

Eskel didn’t even twitch.  


Jaskier sighed.  


One silk-ensconced shoulder leaned into one braced by leather. 

Blue on red. 

Silk on leather.  


“It’s the changeling isn’t it.”  


_That_ shocked Eskel into moving.  


“Well- Bardling- Songbird?” He blinked in confusion. Jaskier smiled at him.  


“I answer to those, yes.”  


The Wolf let out a huff of a laugh and leaned his shoulder gently into the bard’s. 

Leather on silk.  


The Witcher scrubbed his hands over his face as he thought but let the bard take his gloved hands in his pale ones.  


“Talk to me, Eskel. Don’t go where I can’t follow like that.”  


Broad shoulders slumped at the gentle, aching tone. The two men had agreed years ago that they would always talk out what could be talked out. Jaskier couldn’t go through another explosion like the mountain after the blasted dragon hunt and Eskel would never put him through one. Willingly.  


“I don’t... Robin- I am...”  


Jaskier squeezed his hands just enough to ground his Witcher and encourage him. The Red Wolf let out a shaky laugh and shook his head. His bard watched the shorter man’s hair bounce at the motion and pain lanced through his blue, _blue_ eyes. Hot amber met that blue and the fight went out of the warrior.  


“I don’t want her to become a Witcher.” Jaskier blinked, blue eyes meeting sunset gold as Eskel tried to explain away his feelings. “It goes against the Code-“  


“The Code that ripped all of my dearest friends to shards and made them stab themselves?" Jaskier interrupted. "The Code that brings _children_ to be tortured and treated as monsters in a thankless world? _That_ Code?”  


Eskel’s sunset eyes blinked as his sky blue friend hardened to ice. 

Ice on silk.  


“Yes, that would be the one.” Twin swords clanked as Eskel let himself crumple. Jaskier caught him to his chest as he tipped, as he knew the bard would. 

The pond before them sounded with splashes and the bleating of a small goat as Jaskier and his Witcher watched the clouds come in. 

White cotton on blue sky.  


Leather creaked as Eskel made himself more comfortable against the soft doublet and looked across the small body of water.  


Wading up to her knees in pond water, an elven changeling girl danced in a white dress.  
\- 

_“I invoke the law of surprise; give me that which you have but do not yet know of.” A voice rippled across the war room when Eskel had named his price. These people could afford nothing else, but he couldn’t leave them to the mercy (and lack thereof) of the creature in the woods. Jaskier’s heart swelled with pride at the smokey, musical-for-a-Witcher voice._

_That night the alderman had returned to a wife in hysterics and a daughter out of glamor.  
_

_Eskel has come back covered in blood and lugging a heavy carcass only to have a child thrust into his arms and a town kick him out.  
_

_Jaskier had followed immediately after taking the village to task for using the goodwill of a powerful swordsman and throwing it back into his face. He shamed them, leaving them staring at their shoes and avoiding his gaze.  
_

\- 

“He knew he had a daughter, but not an elven changeling.” Eskel mused, watching the girl as her hair picked up the sunny green of the leaves around the pond. 

Green on blonde.  


Silk rustled as Jaskier shook his head and let his own glamor fall.  


“Can elves even become Witchers, Esk? Maybe you don’t have to make a decision just yet.”  


The Witcher shook his head miserably.  


“No, I have to offer her up to the Trials - knowing she won’t survive them. They’re designed for a human body, Jask.”  


Lute-calloused hands tilted his face up to meet unnaturally blue eyes. 

Furious, glowing blue eyes.  


“You don’t _have_ to do _anything_ , my friend. I won’t let you.”  


The Wolf began to sit up to get away from the possessiveness of the statement before his heightened senses picked up on the next sentence from the aching elven bard.  


_“I won’t stand by and watch them hurt you again. I can’t.”_  


Sunset yellow met noontime blue in a sudden depth of understanding.  


The girl giggled as Lil' Bleater butted into the water, kicking up crystalline drops of water that caught the fading light.  


“Jaskier...” The halting name hid a broken plea. _I can't do this alone. Not anymore._  


“Eskel.” _I love you_.  


Perhaps he always had. 

Perhaps their love was as solid as leather and as beautiful as silk. 

With a shuddering sigh the man of sunset sat up, allowing the elf of high noon to keep his hands on his shoulders. 

Together they would protect the child of the dawn that had been gifted to them.  


The Trials would not get this little girl. 

Potions would not rip her clear voice. 

Torture would not scar her sunrise skin.  


Not if leather and silk could stop it.


End file.
